How Berlin is Redefining Masculinity

How Berlin is Redefining Masculinity

photo: Liam Warton

No other city in the world gives us so much space to discuss and observe different gender stereotypes like Berlin. While walking down Kottbusser Damm all the way to Hermannplatz you can encounter many different types of typical Berlin men. The buff Turkish smartphone shop owner, the thin and elegant androgynous fashion design student shopping fabrics at Maybachufer, the Scandinavian exchange student with long Jesus hair and beard sipping a coffee-to-go in a recyclable cup, the German punk cuddling his dog. All these men sound like cliches of course. But cliches that I actually encounter quite regularly. This is how Berlin and its citizens make you aware that there is no strict norm here on how a man should look and behave like in other parts of the world. A city where playing with gender and identity is nothing unusual but rather the norm.

Reflecting on the softness of men my dear friend and curator Laetitia Duveau from Curated by Girls is launching a brand new exhibition called New Masculinity this Saturday. The show will feature the works of 4 artists who found each other on Instagram and teamed up to drive attention to a new and different portrayal of masculinity. Giving you a little excitement for the opening on November 11 check out a preview from the artist Annika Weertz, Joseph Barrett, Liam Warton, and Phoebe Jane Barrett! Read on…

Here’s to the Beauty of Men

Here’s to the Beauty of Men

photo: Jean-Baptiste Huong

For the longest time showing the beauty of the human body was a bit of a taboo in art and artistic photography. What was completely natural for the old masters is now deemed to be too commercial to count as art. Art should not be appealing, let alone be beautiful. This is something for advertising, or in the case of the human physique: erotica.

It’s a shame really, because the human body is as good of an object for art as any, and not just as something abstract or for the sake documentary. I’m glad that the art world seems to slowly but steadily overcome this prejudice. More artists experiment with nudity, sex, even pornography. Even galleries are picking up on this. Now more than ever artists who dedicate themselves to the beauty of the human body are no longer just considered photographers, but actual artists. I think this development is very positive and we should embrace this positivity.

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Berlin Art: An Interview with Pola Sieverding

Berlin Art: An Interview with Pola Sieverding

Some might call her art grotesque, others will call it majestic. In any case the artworks of the Berlin-based artist Pola Sieverding is one of a kind. Reflecting multiple aspects of masculinity her videos and photographs called our attention and made us curious for more. Therefore we connected with her to learn more about her vision and her artistic approach. Read the full interview and enjoy her sexual and sometimes revolting artwork.

Read on…